Brett Tanner has been selling and repairing outdoor power equipment since taking over the business from his brother in 1990. For the last six, seven years, however, Tanner’s Lawn & Snow Equipment in Newtown, PA has also been growing its rental business.
“We’re continually building that side of our company,” said Tanner, who attended The ARA Show for the first time this past year. “The show was bigger than I anticipated. Hence, I shopped around and came back with a few more pieces of equipment than I originally expected. Nothing big, a couple Ditch Witch and brush hog attachments for our track loaders, along with some smaller items and parts.
“One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that little things add up, " he says. "The biggest challenges are having the right equipment in our inventory and customers who don’t return their rentals on time."
Thanks in part to plenty of rain, Tanner reported that his company had a “fabulous” year on the OPE side, selling and servicing Toro, Ferris, and BigDog mowers, along with Echo hand-held equipment. The excessive moisture had an opposite effect on rental sales, slowing projects and the demand for dirt moving equipment from his smaller contractor customers.
Still, he emphasized, the rental business was good and he anticipates a good year in 2019. “Because we purchase a lot of new equipment on the OPE side, rising steel prices have been more noticeable there versus rental where Tier 4 emission regulations and diesel engine cost increases have had a greater impact.”
Tanner’s store, located 40 minutes north of Philadelphia, employs nine people, including five technicians. His biggest competition comes from an area Home Depot and a rental store, both 20 minutes away, and a nearby national rental store.
